Anti Venom
by AliceMakesMeLaugh
Summary: Bella and Edward just returned from their honeymooon and Bella is scheduled to become a vampire the next day.  A surprise visitor shows up with an antidote to becoming a vampire! Will Edward choose to become human again?  Please R&R!
1. Goodbye, Charlie

Chapter 1: Goodbye, Charlie

"It really was a nice wedding, Bells" Charlie says, resigned. He had an initial bad reaction to the news that Edward and I were engaged, but as the weeks flew by and August 13th approached, he slowly grew excited, though I doubt he'd ever admit it.

"I had so much fun planning it, and everything went just the way I knew it would, except when your heel broke on the way down the aisle, Bella!" Alice chimed in. "I mean really, only you would break the heel of your wedding shoes on your way down the aisle."

"She's right, Bella..." a chuckle came from the direction of the stairway of Charlie's house, where Edward was carrying the last of my clothing and personal items from my bedroom. We were back from our honeymoon in Fiji and my new husband was helping me move from my father's house. I didn't even get mad at the three of them laughing at me since I knew this would be the last time I would see Charlie for an undetermined amount of time.

"Ha-ha... you're all hilarious" I said sarcastically as Edward continued out the front door to place the last boxes in my new, sleek, black Audi. "I'm glad you had a good time, dad. I must admit, I was totally against a traditional wedding, but as Alice predicted, I would've regreted eloping. "Thanks again for everything, both of you."

Edward came back inside and said "Sorry girls, but it's time to go."

Fighting back tears, I started to speak rapidly. "Charlie, I've stocked your freezer with individual portions of lasanga, beef stroganoff, chili..." I continued naming a list of Charlie's favorite meals. "You won't have to cook until Christmas time."

"Bella, I can take care of myself. Remember all those years before you came here that I had to fend for myself?  
But who am I kidding? I'll miss you kid." He put his head down and looked away.

"Oh, Charlie, I'll miss you too. I promise to call you as often as I can and I'll be back to visit at Christmas." I ran over to him and gave him a bear hug Emmett would've been proud of. I lingered there for a long moment and then finally broke away, brushing a few stray tears from my eyes. Charlies eyes even got a little moist.

"I'll take good care of her for you. I promimse." Edward told him, laying a hand gently on his shoulder, then quickly removing it to take my hand in his. This felt right. This felt exactly right. As sad as I am to leave Charlie, not knowing when I might see him again, I was overjoyed with anticipation at what lay ahead for me and my new husband. We were starting a new life together and I couldn't be happier about that.

"Don't worry, Charlie, I'll come to visit you often" Alice chirpped in the background. "I'm taking a semester of College off to determine what I want to do with my future. I can't really see myself anywhere." This conjured up a laugh from Edward and me.

"You're welcome anytime" Charlie smiled over at Alice. Two years later, he was still unknowingly mesmerised by Alice. She could probably tell him to go fly a kite and he'd think it was great.

After a few more hugs and promises to call often, the three of us wandered out into the night. Edward held the driver's side door of the Audi open for me. This gesture must be in response to my obvious sadness at leaving Charlie. I got in, looked at the house one last long moment, and drove toward the Cullen's.

I was much better at finding that hidden driveway now and found their house with ease. Alice and Edward had exchanged some warning glares with each other as we got out of the car and walked toward the door of the house. I almost didn't notice, but the tension was thick.

"Everything will be absolutely fine" Alice hissed to Edward under her breath, almost too low for me to hear.

Edward put his arm around my waist as we walked up the porch steps. He gave me a quick kiss on my head before opening the door.

"ADAM!" Alice exclaimed happily, jumping up and down, with a note of surprise in her tone.

"Alice! Don't pretend you didn't know I was here" a tall man with dark hair, who looked to be about 40 years old, approached her and gave a warm, or in their case, cold, hug. Then, he turned to Edward and said "My, my, Edward, she is absolutley beautiful. Congratulations and I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding" the stranger, who obviously was a stranger only to me, said while glancing in my direction, shaking Edward's hand.

"Bella, meet Adam Bailey, an old family friend. He's a research scientist who goes way back with Carlisle." Edward pronounced. I didn't even have to ask if he was a vampire. I knew by the tone of Edward's voice that "way back" meant it's been a very very long time. "Adam, meet my lovely wife, Bella Swan Cullen."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Bailey" I said tentatively.

"Oh, call me Adam. I've heard so much about you and I'm glad we're finally meeting" he replied. I looked into his kind, brown eyes and knew immediately that me must be a "vegetarian" too.

"What brings you to Forks, Adam?" Edward asked. I heard snickering coming in the direction of the sofa's across the room where Emmett, Rosalie,  
Jasper and now Alice perched.

"As if you don't already know" Adam replied, laughing a little.

"Well get in the habit of saying it even if Edward does know," Carlisle, said. "Bella, like the rest of us, doesn't have the luxury of knowing what you're thinking, Adam"

"Why don't you all come and sit down" Esme calmly advised. "Adam has some interesting news."

Edward who seemed to be totally preoccupied with his thoughts, guided me over sit among the others. 

"I do indeed," Adam continued. "You see, I was just telling the others about my new discovery. I've discovered the antidote to being a vampire.  
A little potion I like to call 'Anti-Venom'" he exclaimed.

See Chapter 2 


	2. AntiVenom

Chaper 2: Anti-Venom

"Anti-Venom?" I asked. My thoughts were whirling. I couldn't decide if I was happy or upset. "What does this mean?"

"It means I can be human again and have babies!" Rosalie shouted, obviously having made up her mind already.

"Well, I haven't tested that factor yet" Adam explained. "You see, here's what I know so far..." he went on. Adam continued for the next hour to explain his research, trials and tribulations before reaching the end result of the antidote to change a vampire back into a human being that he liked to call "Anti-Venom". There was a long list of ingredience to include some components of Werewolf saliva. I tuned him out after that because the thought was unsettling to me. He explained to Rosalie that he had tested the potion on the other two vampires in his coven and they were human again. He has monitored them in their human form for two years now, but has not tested whether or not pregnancy is an option.

Rosalie was unwaiveringly happy. "Who care's if I can get pregnant myself or not? If I'm human again, Emmett and I can adopt a baby, or two or three! And we can properly grow old together, raising our family, living the lives we were meant to live."

"That's true," a few of them mumbled.

"And why aren't you a human yourself, Adam?" Carlisle wanted to know.

"I will be, soon. But I wanted to make sure my potion was complete before I made the change. I would like it if Carlisle would monitor me during the change. It's basically a mirror of turning into a vampire. The reversal also takes three days, and from what the other two tell me, instead of fire coursing through you, it's like ice runs through your veins."

"I want to join you" was Edwards short, decided plea.

"Edward!" I exclaimed. This was not a happy exclamation as you might assume it would be. I was angry.

"Bella, darling, what are you upset about? Isn't this the best news you've had in a long time?"

Admittedly, I was nervous about my scheduled vampire transition, which is now only mere hours away. Still, I had made up my mind and I didn't see how this news should change my decision. Of course, I will admit that Edward being human might solve some problems, but what about the ones that would get worse? "Have you forgotten about the Voltouri? We promised and you know they don't let people break the rules."

"Rules? Forget about them. This changes everything."

"You're both right" Carlisle interjected. "We need to weigh the pros and cons of each before making a hasty decision."

For the next however long, all nine of us went back and forth with the upside and the downside of each choice. At the end of it,  
Emmett and Rosalie had absolutely decided to become human again. Alice and Jasper were rather content in being vampires, but were collectively happy to know that an antidote is available if they change their minds. Carlisle and Esme appeared to be leaning toward the human side of things, but decided they would wait a few days before jumping in to anything. Adam suggested that we "sleep" on it for a few days since he was in no hurry to leave and planned on staying for a few weeks.

A little while later, I had just gotten a shower and slipped into a new, satin, dark blue nightie I received as a wedding shower present from Alice. I thought back to the shower and how this was conservative compared to a few other pieces of lingerie Alice had put together for me. I was so embarrassed at the time. My mom had been there as well as several of my friends and my Aunt Lucy, Carlie's sister. I didn't really need any of them to imagine what my wedding night would be like. Not to mention, I didn't need Edwards sister to foresee what I would be doing in these skimpy articles of so-called clothing she provided. Am I immature?  
No. I believe that even if I were 100 years old, I wouldn't want Alice see such intimate moments!

Anyway, after my little reminiscing, I went out to the bedroom where Edward was waiting for me wearing nothing but his crooked smile,  
boxers and a white t-shirt. It's amazing how such a simple ensemble can make my stomach flip and my body yearn to be with him.

"You look amazing" he breathed into my ear as he lifted me onto the bed and kissed my neck with his cool lips.

"You're not so bad youself." I responded, mimicking his soft kisses and pressing my body against his.

We made love then. Just like our first time, it was everything I knew it would be. It seemed like we've always done this and I hoped we always would. I knew it was a slight stuggle for Edward, since he had to concentrate every second to ensure he wouldn't hurt me accidentally. But it was worth it.

Afterward, as I lay with my head on his shoulder, with his arm around me, I slept. Even with everything I had just learned about the vampire antidote and the millions of thoughts that ran through my head, I was so relaxed that I couldn't fight the sleep.

I woke in the same position and Edward kissed the top of my head. "Go back to sleep, it's early."

I looked up at him and kissed him back. "I don't think I can sleep again. I just remembered everthing that happend last night.  
I didn't just dream about Adam, he's really here, right?"

"Yes, he's here and no it wasn't a dream. We have a chance at a real life now."

"But, what about all of our other plans?"

"Aren't human plans better, Bella?"

"On one hand yes, but what about the Voltouri and the constant danger I seem to be in?"

"I think the Voltouri could be reasoned with and the danger... well as far as danger with vampires, I think that's almost a non-  
issue considering that Victoria is dead." He sighed. "Bella, don't you want us to grow old together and have a family?"

"I do, but, I am afraid that if you're no longer a Vampire, I could lose you." My voice broke.

"Lose me? Whatever do you mean? You surely don't think that the only reason I'm with you is because I'm a vampire!" He said,  
exasperated.

"No, I mean, what if you died?" My voice was desperate now.

"Oh, good point. I guess I would be more vulnerable. But being stuck at 17 is so tough and I still have a little problem with you losing your soul."

"Clearly, if there's a change that you could become human again, your soul must be in tact somewhow" I replied.

"What if I become human for a few years while we're in college. We could both age a little and we know Alice will still be a vampire. After a few years, we could think about going back. Although, I must warn you, the chance is unlikely that I would ever choose to be a vampire again."

"This is so hard. I don't know what to say." It was silent for several minutes before I spoke again. "Let me become a vampire as planned. We can watch how Rosalie and Emmett change and if after a few years, we want to take the antidote, we can."

"Bella, no way."

"But you promised!" I cried.

"Think about Charlie and Renee. The only reason you wanted to be a vampire is because I am one. If I'm not one anymore, then there's no need for any of this." Edward said. 

"I want a divorce." I exclaimed stubbornly.

"What? Don't be ridiculous." He fought back a chuckle.

"I'm serious. You can't have what you want all the time and I get nothing!"

"Nothing? I've given you the first half of your list of demands." He said angrily. Then his features softened and in a much quieter voice he said "Bella, don't you want to have a family?"

"You are my family. Everyone here is my family. I just want to be with your forever. I feel safe with you and if you're human,  
you could DIE" I stressed again.

"Fine, as you wish" he sighed, resigned.

"That's it?" I couldn't believe he gave in so easily. Wow.

"You can be a vampire. It's much easier for me to say that knowing that you can change back. I have a feeling that as time passes,  
once you've seen Rosalie and Emmett's children and you've fulfilled your need to know what it's like to be a vampire, you'll change your mind again." He smiled at me and sat up in bed. "Let's go. It's time."

A chill went through my spine as he said this. I was excited and nevous. I was so nervous. I told him to give me a few human moments to get my last shower as a human, etc.

See Chapter 3 


	3. Transformation

Chapter 3: Transformation

After completing my final human tasks, I dressed in the outfit Alice had bought for my transformation. It was a firey red two piece skirt and blouse. She had it imported from France because she said when she saw it online, she knew it would represent the occasion very well. Only Alice would think of such a thing.

She was bouncing up and down outside of the bedroom door, waiting for me and Edward to emerge. When we finally did, she pronounced,  
"I'm so excited you've made your choice. I always knew this would happen!"

They led me to the room Carlisle had set up for the change. I layed down on what looked suspiciously close to a surgical table and waited. Time seemed to stand still as my life flashed before my eyes. After a very short moment of pain, remembering Jacob and the sad look in his eyes, I spoke aloud. "I'm ready."

Carlisle gave Edward a nod and said "Go ahead."

He told me he loved me and kissed my neck. He backed up for a split second and then it happened. Edward was drinking my blood. I felt his venom spread throughout my body, blazing with fire. I told myself before hand that I wouldn't complain and I stuggled to hold in my terror now, but I did. Carlisle put his hand on Edward's shoulder after a moment and said "That's enough".

Edward released his teeth from my neck and started to cry. "I'm so sorry, my love. I can't believe I did this to you." He wept for several more minutes before I found my voice.

"Edward Cullen, stop your tears. You did exactly as I asked and it hurts like heck right now, but I'll be fine".

Carlilse adjusted the IV drip of morphine he had set up when I arrived in the room. That was the last thing I remember for an unknown amount of time. My next conscious thought was of blood. I craved for it, but at the same time, I was repulsed by the thought. I wanted it, yet I didn't.

I sat up and saw Edward looking at me intently from the chair, next to the table I was on. From behind him, I heard Carlisle's voice.  
"Hello, Bella. How are you feeling? It's been 3 days."

He was beside me in a second. He was checking me over to make sure I was alright. Suddenly, everything was much clearer. I felt strong.  
I decided to test out my new found strength. I hopped off the table in one swift move and ran around the large room in a second flat. I went to the door and ran down the two flights of stairs and back up to the third floor in less than a few seconds. Edward and Carlisle were both laughing. "She's definitely done" Carlisle announced.

I approached Edward and hesitated for a slight second. Then, our arms were around each other and our lips met. What happened next was comforting. Everthing felt the same. Electric still sparked as our skin collided. I still felt the same for him now as I did for him when I was human. "Do you still want me?" I asked him tentatively.

"More than ever" was Edward's reply. We spent another long moment in each other's arms. Now with this out of the way, my instincts kicked in.

"I smell humans" I said aloud while leaving the room and going to the second floor. I knew instantly which room the humans were in.  
Edward and Carlisle followed me cautiously, afraid of what my newborn reaction would be to these humans.

I was faster than they were and I was in the room in a flash. "Hello, Bella," Rosalie and Emmett spoke in unison. Next to them was Adam.  
They each had their own distinct fragrence. All sweet and tempting, yet repulsive at the same time. Then, just Rosalie said "We took the plunge at the same time you did."

"So I see. You smell wonderful and disgusting at the same time." They all looked at each other, not fully understanding. I decided to clarify. "I want all of you. I want satisfy this hunger I feel, but at the same time, the thought of it makes me sick."

A chourus of laughter filled the room. I joined in the laughter for a moment, and then curious, I turned to leave the room. I wanted to find a mirror so I could examine my new appearance. I hoped that now I would be worthy of standing next to Edward for eternity.  
Quickly, I had reached my destination and looked at my new reflection. I wasn't all that different. Not to myself anyway. My skin was slightly paler, my eyes were dark with a slight red tinge and my hair was almost the same. The one difference was that all of my features seemed to be enhanced with a sort of glow. I was disappointed.

Edward was standing behind me. "What are you thinking" he inquired.

"I'm thinking that I'm still not pretty enough to be worthy of you. I somehow thought that being a vampire would make me beautiful."

"Bella, you're so frustrating sometimes. You're absurd. You are beautiful now and you always have been." He looked and sounded as if he were being genuine. I guess I will always judge myself more harshly than another person might. I smiled at him and saunterd over to where he was standing. I gave him a kiss and then tapped his shoulder exlaiming "You're it!" and I ran. I knew he was following me without even turning around to check. I could smell him following at a rapid pace. This was so weird. I felt like I could run across the earth, so when I reached the front door, I kept going. 

For the next few hours, Edward and I played vampire tag. Being a newborn, I was easily able to outrun Edward. Sometimes, I would slow down just a bit so that he could catch me and we would embrace. When it was my turn to catch him, he used skill to out smart me. It was the most fun I've had in a long time, with the exclusion of my honeymoon, of course. When we finally decided to quit, the mood got more serious. I was hungry. As much as I tried to deny it, the urge was so strong, I needed to satisfy the near starvation.

"Edward, honey" I called to him, across the field, "I'm hungry." He was at my side in a flash. 

"What do you want to eat?" He probed.

"Well, I wish I could say I want a pizza, but somehow I know that won't be helpful."

"Come on," he said leading the way futher up into the mountains. After a few miles, we were at a spot where he said deer were abundant.  
He took a few moments to give me some hunting pointers and then we waited a breif minute, searching until we picked up a trail where we could smell several deer had just passed. Quickly, we encountered the few deer and Edward somehow could sense that I wanted to try this alone.

He hung back, several yards and let me go ahead. I completed the task successfully, finishing off three deer in less than five minutes.  
At the same time, slightly away from where I was, Edward had his own meal. Afterward, I felt satisfied and displeased with myself. It's not that I'm an animal activist or anything, but I've never hurt one in my life and I hadn't really planned on it. But this was for survival, and everything is some other thing's prey, right? 

"Are you okay?" Edward wanted to know.

"Yes," was my reply. "My appetite has been sated."

"Well, that takes care of the physical, but how are you feeling otherwise?" He was next to me with his arm around my waist as we walked away from our hunting grounds. 

"I'm alright. I mean, I'm a little sad about the deer, but at the same time, I'm glad that I'm like you now." There was a brief pause, then to lighten the mood, I said "race you home!"

I won, of course. We entered the house together and found Alice and Jasper in the living room watching a movie. "I knew you would be a natural hunter, Bella" Alice commented.

"Thank, God I don't have to smell your human blood anymore, Bella." Jasper laughed. "Of course as one burden is lifted, three more inhabit this house," he remarked, clearly referring to Rosalie, Emmett and Adam.

"How's that going?" I asked, curious.

Edward was the one to answer, since he had read their thoughts and knew everything that had transpired during our time away. He told me how Adam, Rosalie and Emmett had gone with Carlisle into the hospital. It was late on a Sunday, so barely anyone would be there. They wanted to use a multitude of hospital equipment in conjunction with Carlisle's medical expertise to examine their new human form. Esme had gone along to observe since she and Carlisle were scheduled to change into humans themselves shortly.

"While you were out, Bella, I went to visit Charlie," Alice told me.

"Oh, how's he doing?" I wanted to know.

"He's excellent. I'd be lying if I told you he isn't a little sad missing you, because he is, however, he's happy for you and he'll be just fine." She hesitated a moment and continued, "You see, Charlie has met someone. It's nothing serious, because it's brand new, but he met a woman when he went into Seattle yesterday and they hit it off instantly. Her name is Sophia, she's a 40 year old mother of two whose husband died in an auto accident several years ago. Her children are 15 and 12. She and Charlie have a date scheduled for this coming Friday."

"Wow, how did you get so much information out of him?"

"Well, it's like you always say, Bella. I dazzled him" Alice smiled.

So, Charlie had met someone. What a relief. He had been alone for so long it was about time he found a person who might be able to enhance his life a little. I was glad for him. "Anything else?"

"Not too much. He did mention that he was surpsised he hadn't heard from you, but he's sure you arrived safely at school."

"I guess it has been a few days and I should give him a call." I left the living room and wandered into the kitchen. I dialed Charlie's number on my cell phone and he answered after two rings. "Hi, Ch-, I mean, Dad!"

"Bells, how are you? I hope you arrived without any problems" he excitedly asked.

"Edward and I are great. We're settling in to campus without any problems. I'm sorry that it took so long to call you."

"That's okay. I'm just glad you're safe."

"Dad, I spoke to Alice just now..." I started in a tone which implied that I knew all about Sophia.

"Oh, yes, she came to see me today." He paused and then sighed. "Ok, so I guess you've heard all about my trip to Seattle."

"I sure did and I'm happy for you, Dad. Don't do anything to mess this up," I giggled. "Seriously, I hope it all works out. Not that you can't take care of yourself, but I would feel better knowing that you have someone. We talked easily for several minutes,  
then it was time to go. "Bye Dad, I love you."

"Me too, Bells. Take care," and he hung up.

I repeated the same routine with Renee and I felt glad to know that so shortly after my transformation, I was feeling normal.

See Chapter 4: Interlude 


	4. Interlude

Chapter 4: Interlude

It's mid-June now. Edward and I had just spent close to a year in a remote town in Alaska and we are now on our way back to Forks. Shortly after I was turned into a Vampire, I had a little bit of delayed reaction my newborn instincts. The first day was great and I had so much fun. As the hours passed, my vampire instints started to take over and Edward told me it was time that we go to Alaska as planned.

I got to meet Tonya's coven and although Irina and I never warmed up to each other, we were civil and I sort of liked them. We didn't hang around there too much. Mostly, it was just my new husband and myself. We spent time hunting and I am now an "expert" with grizzly and polar bears. Edward was right, polar bears really are fierce. I found that I kind of liked the challange.

After a few months, I really wasn't a monster. Edward said I became a controlled, vegetarian vampire in record time and I was proud.  
We took a few short vacations, but didn't return to Forks during this time just in case. When Christmas time had come, I told Charlie that I had a really bad case of Mono and was unable to travel. He was disappointed, but luckily, his new girlfriend Sophia, and her two children, Olivia and Alex helped to fill the void. I promised that Edward and I would spend the summer in Forks and he'd have plenty of time with me. I was excited to meet his new love interest.

I was able to see so many new places and I feel that I learned more in these months traveling that I would've if I had just completed two semesters in college. I got to experience so many different cultures and ways of life. My favorites were Japan and Spain, which are total opposites, but both equally intriguing. We even spent a weekend in Italy. We visited the Volturi to prove that we had kept true to our promise. They were a little disappointed that I didn't seem to have a unique talent, like Edward and Alice have, but Aro reminded me that sometimes these gifts do take time to develop. He said some have theirs right away, but others show up in time. Even though we were welcomed more than the last time I had been there, it still gave me a small case of the creeps and I insisted that we not stay long. 

We received daily updates on the Cullens and their lives. Alice and Jasper are still vampires, but as for the others, things have changed.  
Adam had only stayed about a month, and during that time, Carlisle and Esme had completed their reversal back into humans. From the reports, it seemed like the transition for them was very smooth and they were happy. We were there, of course, when Rosalie and Emmett had taken the "plunge" as they called it and they were so incredibly happy to report that Rosalie was able to conceive a child shortly afterward. She's about seven months along now and her due date is August 7th. Carlisle and Esme had hoped for the same triumph, but unfortunately, Esme is unable to bear a child. They're on an adoption waiting list for a newborn. A newborn human that is.

I was concerned about moving back into a house with so many humans, but Alice told me she foresees no problems with it. She said that when you know the human, it's less tempting. I asked Alice if she sees herself becoming a human in the future and she said the she does. She sees herself and Jasper growing older which must mean that they change eventually. I asked her about me and she said no. She said that must mean I haven't made up my mind to change or she would see it. 

I had heard from Charlie that Jacob was back. He went missing for a period of about six months, but he returned eventually. Charlie said no one knew where he went and Jacob didn't talk about it. To Charlie, Jacob seemed more grown up and responsible. I tried to call once, but Billie said Jacob was out with his new girlfriend, Ava. I asked Billie if he had imprinted and Billie confirmed that yes,  
Jacab had imprinted on Ava and they were happy. It hurt me a little to hear this. I wasn't sure why it still hurt all this time later,  
but it did. Jacob didn't call me back and I didn't press the issue since I knew he had found someone. Edward was very patient about all of this and didn't complain which of course made me feel guilty. He told me he knows I will always have a place in my heart for the dog and it wouldn't be right for him to try and take that away.

We were close now. I looked over at the love of my life as he drove his brand new shiny silver Volvo. He purchased this in Alaska right before we started our trip back to Forks. He claimed that his other Volvo, which was less than three years old, was warn out.  
I rolled my eyes when he told me this as I'm still not used to the fact that we, yes I said we, have more money than we can spend in a regular life time. If the investments continue to generate even half of what they're currently generating, we'll be well off for eternity. That was comforting to know even though I still hated the idea that all of the money we spent was really Edwards. He insisted early on that the money is also mine, and I believe that, but it's still weird.

"We only have about twenty more minutes" he let me know.

We made this journey in record time. I was much more used to the fast driving now. I finally understood why he felt the need for speed as I too even find myself traveling at an average of 100 miles per hour. That's still slow in comparison to Edward. "I'm happy to be going back" I informed him with a smile. It was silent for another moment, then I said "I love you".

"I love you more," he insisted. This was a common, corny conversation between the two of us. Rather than depleating, it seems the our love grew more intense as the months wore on. We made love often, sometimes several times in a night. This not sleeping thing left a lot of time for other activities. Now that I'm a vampire, I believe I understand why it was incredibly difficult for Edward to have a sexual relationship with me as a human. I laughed a little out loud now at the thought.

"What so funny?" he inquired.

"I was just thinking about our wedding night" I glanced over at him and saw a look of consternation on his face. "I mean, I was thinking about how I understand now that it was difficult for you not to break me." He laughed now too. A thought occurred to me and I said aloud "Edward, you remembered to pack the baby presents for Rosalie, right?"

"Yes, of course" was his answer. Tomorrow was Rosalie's baby shower and I didn't want to show up empty handed.

"Great I said." I glanced out the window to see a very familiar rode. This is the rode that would take us to the Cullen's house.

"Honey, can we go to Charlie's first?" I asked. A huge wave of homesickness washed over me suddenly.

"Your wish is my command" he turned the car in a different direction. He glanced at the clock which read 10:00 PM and said "Charlie won't be expecting you until tomorrow, so this will be a nice surprise."

See Chapter 5: Homecoming 


	5. Homecoming

Chapter 5: Homecoming

"Bells!" Charie shouted with pure elation in his tone. He hugged me and kissed me, showing more emotion than I was used to with Charlie. "I've missed you!"

"Dad!" I exclaimed. "I missed you too."

He held me out at an arms length and looked me over. "You look... amazing and so grown up" he remarked. "This is such a nice surprise. Hello, Edward. Welcome back." He held his hand out to Edward, noticing him for the first time. I noted that Charlie's tone was sincere and that made me smile.

"Good Evening, Charlie" Edward said. "I'm glad to see you."

"Come in you two, come in." Charlie led us away from the door and into his living room. He gestured toward a petite, friendly looking woman about his age and said "Bella, Edward, meet Sophia. Sophia, meet my daughter, Bella and her husband, Edward."

We all shook hands and exchanged greetings. "You two look like super models!" Sophia said and immediately it looked like she was embarrassed. "I'm sorry, it's just that you're so beautiful." Everyone laughed.

"So, what's new?" I asked the two of them.

"Well, I do have some news for you. Have a seat," Charlie commanded softly.

"Would either of you like a drink?" Sophia asked.

"No thank you, Sophia. We had plenty to drink," Edwards soft voice responded. He gave me a little smirked and I chuckled slightly at our inside joke. He was referring to the plentiful hunting we did before the road trip in anticipation of our visit with the humans.

"Well, Dad, what's the news?" I wanted to know.

Sitting next to Sophia on the couch, he took her hand in his and said "We're getting married!"

"That's great" Edward and I said at the same time. We all exchanged another round of hugs and well wishes. Charlie told us how he had proposed to Sophia a few weeks ago and she gladly accepted. They would have a very small, private cerimony this summer since they had both been previously married and didn't want to make a big deal out of it at their age. I learned all about Olivia and Alex,  
Sophia's children who were sleeping at this time. I was truly happy for the two, no the four of them.

It was getting late and we said our goodbyes for tonight with the promise of seeing each other again the next day. "Alice has been over to visit a lot," Charlie said happily "and she invited Sophia and Olivia to Rosalie's baby shower tomorrow."

"That's great, I will see you then! Goodnight and behave. Don't do anything I wouldn't do" I laughed.

"Bella Swan, I'm going to be a daddy!" Emmetts booming voice called out as I entered the big white house. He came over to me, at human speed, and gathered me into a huge bear hug.

"That's Bella Cullen now, remember?" Edward responded for me before I had a chance.

"Oh, whatever" Emmett laughed and gave Edward a high five and said "Welcome back".

I glanced around the room to see a very large Rosalie, who's perfect body now had a bulging belly with a basketball shape, perched on the sofa looking rather uncomfortable. It appeared that the rest of her body was still flawless and she had an aura of total satisfaction and happiness about her. I approached her and put my hand on her belly. Since my hearing was better than hers now, I said aloud "It must be a girl. Her heartbeat is very fast."

"Don't ruin the surprise" Rosalie swatted my hand away from her belly. Despite this, she was actually happy to see me. Or maybe the happiness was for Edward? She answered my unasked question "Welcome home, Bella. I've missed you. As you can see, I'm no longer jealous of you!" We shared a warm hug and then she and Edward did the same.

"I can't believe the two of you didn't come here first. And when you finally get here, you ignore me!" Alice said, but her tone was jubilant rather than reproachful. She bounded over to us and enveloped us in a hug saying "You're never allowed to spend that much time away from the rest of us again. Bella," she said, turning toward me, "we are going shopping first thing Monday morning. I have the whole thing planned. I see becoming a vampire has not changed your taste in clothing" she tsk tsked shaking her head looking at my jeans and long sleeved t-shirt. If it were anyone else saying this, I would've been offended, but not with Alice.

Jasper was right behind her welcoming us home also. I wondered where Carlisle and Esme were. Just then, the two of them came down the stair case, wearing pajamas, with messy hair. "Hello and welcome back," Carlie said with a yawn giving both of us a hug. 

Esme approached us as well and told us "I"m so glad to see the pair of you. Please excuse our appearance. Now that we're human, we go to sleep early."

"I'm so sorry we woke you" I apologized.

"Don't even worry about it, we are happy to see you" Carlisle said. I noticed that he and Esme both looked slightly older. Is that even possible in the short amount of time we were gone? I guess it was. Of course it's not like they showed their true ages, or they'd be so wrinkled they would be unrecognizable.

"Speaking of being human, I am up way past my bed time," Rosalie said, with fatigue in her voice. "Emmett, are you ready to go?"

"Yes, sweetheart, let me just warm up the car for you. Goodnight everyone! See you tomorrow." Emmett jogged out the front door.

"You don't live here?" I asked surprised. No one had mentioned that they had moved.

"With the baby coming, Emmett and I decided it was time to get our own place. You'll see it tomorrow at the baby shower, Bella." Rosalie gave everyone present a quick hug and waddled out the front door.

Carlisle and Esme went back to bed and the four remaining vampires, myself included, stayed up all night and talked about everything we'd missed over the past nine and a half months. We laughed and sometimes got serious, but all in all, we had a good time. I was glad that now that I was a vampire, not everyone had decided to become human. It was comforting to still have Alice and Jasper to share in our sleepless nights and similar cravings. Not that if they were human now they wouldn't remember clearly what it had been like for them to spend so many years as monsters, but still, it was settling.

Alice filled me in on every detail of the party she had planned for Rosalie tomorrow. She knew the baby was in fact going to be a girl, but she had chosen a neutral theme since Rosalie wanted the baby's sex to be a surprise. As the early morning hours arrived, Edward and I excused ourselves for some privacy. Alice gave me a wink as we went upstairs and if I could blush, I would have.

Once in the familiar third floor bedroom, we spent the next couple of hours unpacking our luggage, settling in and eventually, doing exactly what Alice had known we would do. After many months of practice, we were so in sync with one another and it was slightly different each time, but always perfect. 

See Chapter 6: Truce 


	6. Truce

Chapter 6: Truce

I opened the drivers side door of my Audi and slide in behind the wheel. I was feeling happy for Rosalie and Emmett, whose baby shower I just left. It had been a nice party and I got to spend some more time with Sophia and meet her daughter, Olivia, who's 15. I'd say they meet with my approval and I'm sure Charlie will be happy. I glanced at the clock on the dash board and saw that it was 3:00 PM. I thought about what I would do for the rest of the day. Alice and Esme were staying behind at Rosalie's to help her sort through the hundreds of presents and clean up. I would have offered to help myself, but I felt the need for some alone time. Carlisle was at work today and all of the other guys were out hunting.

A sudden thought occured to me, but no, I couldn't. Could I? I could. Well, maybe, technically, there was this little thing called a treaty that the Cullen's made with the Werevolves over seventy years ago. But surely, I was an exception? Just like last summer, when the two sides had come together to fight Victoria and her gang of newborn vampires. Before I could talk myself out of it, I put the pedal to the floor and made it to La Push in record time.

I had always wondered where exactly the border was that the Cullen's weren't supposed to cross, and now that I was a vampire, I instinctively knew, but that didn't stop me. I pulled up in front of Jake's house and ran to the porch steps. I knocked. "Billy, Jacob? It's me, Bella."

Instead of the door opening, I heard a laugh from behind me "You stink" Jacob said wrinkling his nose. I sniffed the air and with little effort, I realized the funny scent I had smelled when I reached La Push was werewolf. It was truly not as bad as the Cullen's made it out to be, I noted, confirming my suspicion that the two sides exaggerated how the bad the other one smelled.

"Is that any way to greet your best friend?" I asked, hoping that my enthusiasm wouldn't be rejected, taking his laughter as a good sign.

"Bells, I want to hate you, but I can't" he approached me as if he were going to give me a hug, but it wasn't quite as natural as it had once been. He stayed several feet back and continued "what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you," I replied in a tone implying "Duh."

"You're not supposed to be here, bloodsucker" was his comment. If he had sad this about one of the Cullens, I wouldn't have liked it,  
but since he was referring to me and his tone was a mixture of disgust and sarcasm, I let it slide. At first, I had felt my temper flare, but immediately it turned into laughter.

We went for a walk on the beach, like in the old days. This time, however, we kept a careful distance at all times. It wasn't that either of us was afraid of the other, but it was more comfortable for us to maintain our seperate spaces.

"So you're a married woman, ugh, I mean, bloodsucker, now. How's that working out for you? The married part, I mean. Are you happy?"

"Yes, Jake, I really am. What about you? I heard about Ava. Tell me more" I requested.

Carefully avoiding any details of his whereabouts during the six months he had disappeared, he told me all about his return to La Push and how Quil and Embry threw a little party for him down on the beach to welcome him home. One of the guys, Paul, had brought his cousin Ava to the gathering since she had come to live with his family for the remainder of her high school days. He explained how Ava's mom had passed away when she was little and her father thought that maybe Paul's mother might be a good influence on her right now. He described how instantly, he had known she was meant only for him. It wasn't exactly a love at first sight, swooning feeling. It was much deeper than that and more permenant feeling. Lucky for Jacob, she liked him right away too and he didn't even have to explain the imprinting thing to her that first night.

They had been together for several months now and they are happy. "Bella, I want to apologize for my behavior last year. I really did love you and I think in some ways, I still do, but regardless of that, I would have left you as soon as I laid my eyes on Ava. I wouldn't have had a choice. I feel guilty just thinking about that. Will you forgive me, bloodsucker?" He wanted to know.

"Forgive you? I'm the one who should be begging for forgiveness!" We talked easily for the next hour. Then, before I could even see her, I knew she was approaching. My eyes caught sight of a young, maybe fifteen or sixteen year old, human girl. Her skin was a shade lighter than Jakes, but her hair was the same dark black. She was very pretty and I knew without asking that this is Ava.

"You must be Ava," I said, smiling to show her that I was friendly.

"And you are?" She said with a slight edge to her tone.

"Ava, this is my friend I had told you about, Bella." Jacob said, while greeting her with a hug and a quick kiss.

"Oh, Bella, yes. Nice to meet you." I could tell she was struggling to not appear jealous.

"I'm happy to meet you too. I can't tell you how wonderful I think it is about you and Jacob."

Ava turned to look at Jacob, "we're going to be late."

"Right! I forgot about dinner at the Clearwaters!" Jacob turned to me now and said "Bella, I'm glad you came. Tell that guy, what's his name, Edward? Anyway, tell him I said thanks."

"For what?" I was curious.

"He'll know" he smiled. We said our goodbyes and I drove home.

Edward didn't appear to be mad at me. He smiled when I walked through the door and asked me if I had a nice time with Jacob. I told him that I did have a nice time and I got to meet Ava. Then it hit me. Edward wasn't angry because he knew how strong the bond is between Jacob and Ava. He's not jealous anymore. Interesting...

"He said to tell you 'thanks'" I informed Edward. A smile spread across his face and a moment of silence passed. "Well, what does it mean?"

"He was thanking me for the wedding invitation I sent him. I assume that he also means, thanks for fighting for you. At the time,  
he hated me, and probably still does, but not because I'm with you. He sees now that you would've been heart broken if I had left again so you could be with him. He would have left you, Bella."

"Wait a minute, I'm still stuck back at the part where you said you sent him a wedding invitation?!"

"I wanted him to have a choice. It's what I would've wanted" he said simply. This made sense, but I didn't want to let him off the hook that easily. I gave him a hard time for a few more minutes, but in the end, I gave in and we made up. Making up was the best part of fighting, that's for sure. 

The next few weeks were nice and relaxing. I spent a lot of time with Charlie and Sophia. At the end of July, they had a very small wedding, which was very sweet. Charlie had really opened up and he was a different man than the one I knew before I left Forks. He was still a little awkward sometimes, but mostly, he learned to show emotion just as I had now. Everything seemed to be just as it should be.

See Chapter 7: Vera Hale Cullen 


	7. Vera Hale Cullen

Chapter 7: Vera Hale Cullen

I looked into the pale face and my whole world was turned upsidedown. Her scent was the sweetest I had ever encountered. It wasn't the kind of smell that tempted my vampire instincts, but something all together new. A few stray tears fell down my face as I watched this most innocent miracle take her tiny breaths and sleep. How peacefully she slept. I looked over at her mother and said "She's amazing.  
I can't believe how amazing she is."

Rosalie beamed with pride and pure satisfaction. Emmett stood beside her hospital bed with an obvious look of pure joy. "I knew I had always wanted her, I just didn't know that it was possible to love someone so much" was Rosalie's reply.

"Does this magnificent creature have a name?" I asked.

"Vera Hale Cullen. Vera is for my best friend from my first human life. Hale, for my maiden name and the Cullen part is obvious," Rosalie smiled.

"It's my turn" Edward remarked from his position beside me.

"No, just another minute" I said a little too exicitedly and I was embarrassed. Rosalie laughed.

"I tried to warn you, Bella, but you're more stubborn than I am" She commented, referring back to that spring over a year ago when she really did try to warn me that I would miss so many human experiences if I chose to become a vampire.

"Don't worry about a thing," Alice said aloud from her perch beside the window, "I've seen great things for you just now, Bella."

I knew without asking what she meant. When I had first taken sweet little Vera in my arms, I had made up my mind then. Edward knew this too, because he was reading Alice's thoughts. A look that said "I told you so" was clear on his face. I rolled my eyes at him and gave Vera a small kiss before passing her off to Edward.

This sight was another unexpected surprise. Wow. I was moved by the sight of my husband holding his neice. I wanted it to be my husband holding our child. I can't believe I'm thinking like this. I spent the next ten minutes day dreaming about what my children with Edward would look like. I hope they take after him, I smiled to myself.

"Sorry to break this up," a kind looking nurse said as she entered the hospital room, "but, it's time for the baby to eat and the mom to get some rest."

We didn't need to be told twice. We all got up, gave the proud parents a quick hug and took one last look at the bundle of joy before we hurried out of the room. Once we were in the car, Alice said "I think I want to do it with you!"

"What?" I asked confused.

"Duh, Bella. What were we just talking about? You've decided that you want to be human again!" She exclaimed.

Edward kept his eyes on the road and didn't say a word. I was curious as to why he remained so quiet, but I kept talking with Alice. Well,  
actually, she did most of the talking. She was planning on what outfits we would wear during our change and any last activities she might want to participate in during her last days as a vampire. I responded when appropriate, but mostly, I was alarmed at Edward's silence.

As always, we were back home very quickly. I asked Edward if he and I could talk and he said of course we could.

"Let's go to our meadow. Want to hop on for old time's sake?" He said and motioned toward his back. There was no need for him to carry me,  
but I sensed this would make him happy, so I climbed on and held tight.

Too bad it was a cloudy day, I was thinking. Still, our meadow was a beautiful sight. I never tired of coming here, to be surrounded by the best part of nature, with the man I love.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" He smirked.

"You were, oddly quiet in the car. What were you thinking about?" I pressed.

"You."

"That's it?" I waited.

"Oh, Bella" he cried out in a jubilant voice. He scooped me up and twirled me around for a long minute. "I knew this would happen, but I didn't think it would be so soon! I'm so happy you're ready to take the antidote Adam left for us."

"Oh, I thought your silence meant you were upset about it and I couldn't figure out why" I said, relief evident in my tone.

We talked and laughed and shared a few intimate moments before heading back to the house to discuss plans with everyone. We raced back and now that our speed was more equal, it was a challenge. I still won. Inside we found Alice, Jasper, Esme and Carlisle. "We're thinking sooner rather than later" Alice announced.

"Me too" Edward said. "Bella?"

"As you wish" I smiled. "What about Jasper?"

"I would follow Alice anywhere, you know that" Jasper put his arm around her.

It was settled. Alice, Jasper, Edward and I would go out to play one last game of Vampire baseball tonight, which I was suprisingly good at,  
then we would start the reversal tomorrow. That would give Carlisle plenty of time to set up everything he needed. After the game, which Edward and Alice won with three to mine and Jasper's two, Edward and I were alone up in our room. We spent our last hours as vampires making love. There's no surpsise there, right?

"I love you so much" he whispered in my ear, pressing his cool lips mine afterward.

"I love you too."

"You have no idea how happy I am that we're going to grow old and wrinkly together. I saw Alice's vision of our future and it's everything I ever wanted." He signed contentedly and kissed me again.

"How many children do we have in her vision?" I wanted to know.

"Seven."

"What?!"

"Oh Bella, you're too easy" he laughed. A knock came on our bedroom door.

"It's time," we heard Carlisle say. Without hesitation, we followed him, hand in hand.  
See (Chapter 8) Epilogue 


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

"I'm exhausted," I breathed heavily and layed back on the bed. 

"When do you think they'll finally sleep through the night?" Edward cried.

"They're six months old tomorrow. It's about time." I whined.

"Alice's son was three months when he started sleeping through the night. I forget when Vera did, that was so long ago and every baby is different" Edward said.

"Well anyway, next time they cry, can you get them?" I was half-asleep already. "I love you" I added sleepily.

"Yeah, sure" he yawned. He pressed his warm lips on my temple and stroked my hair as I drifted into a deep slumber. "Sleep well and I love you more."

We had conversations like this frequently at two in the morning these days. Our twin boys, Adam Charles and Thomas Carlisle Cullen woke us up at least once, usually two or three times per night. When one cried, it woke up the other and so on. It was a burden both Edward and I were happy to have. After graduating from Dartmouth, we decided that it was finally time to start our family. Rosalie and Emmett had a big head start and so did Alice and Jasper. Not that it was a race or anything, but it really was time.

Imagine our shock when we had our first ultra sound and realized it was twins! Now that I'm more mature and several years older, I can't say how grateful I am to Adam Bailey for discovering the antidote to being a vampire. Without him, I most likely would've never been able to experience this wonderful human life I am so happy with now. 

Edward had quite an adjustment to being human again. He could still read most peoples minds, but could only hear other sounds with normal human ears. Translation, he had to start driving closer to the speed limit. That sure was funny for awhile. Feeling Edwards warmth is something I'm still not used to all these years later. I was so used to him being cold and stone like. Aging is another daily surprise.

I had always envisioned him as a 17 year old during the first few years we were together, that I never bothered to imagine what he would look like at 24. Can I say "wow" again? He still looked like a model, but I am finally accepting the fact that I am worthy of him. There was a funny episode a few months after we turned into humans. He had not been used to eating our overly processed, fatty food and after a short time, he found himself gaining weight. It was hysterical. He would get all moody and upset and when he asked me one day "does this make me look fat?" I knew I had to interject.

Running. It's part of our lives now, but it's much different than before. In my first human life, I couldn't because of how clumsy I was.  
I'm still clumsy, but not nearly as much. As vampires, running was like walking to us. Now, we have to really push ourselves, but we do it and Edward has maintained his tip-top shape. Not to mentioned, I lost my "baby weight" in a very short time.

I awoke to some sun peaking through our window and when I went to put my arms around Edward, I found the bed to be empty.

I got up and after a few human moments in the bathroom, brushing my teeth, I went to seek out my boys.

I found them on the recliner in the twins room. Edward had both of our sons on his chest, all three sleeping. I stood in the doorway watching for a long moment. My boys. I was dazzled.

Edward stirred and opened his sleepy eyelids slightly at first and then wider. "Good morning, angel" he said.

"Good morning." I smiled at him, crossed the room and gave each of my boys a kiss. Ah, life, is good. 


	9. Author's Note

A/N: 

Thank you for reading my short story version of how I imagine Edward and Bella's life to be. Do I think the real version of Breaking Dawn will be even close? NO! I doubt an antidote would come in to play, so that being said, I hope Bella marrys Edward and becomes a Vampire.

I had a really nice review mention that Bella was OOC, which was intentional due to the fact that she's growing up. Having already survived my teen years,  
I can say from experience how every year you become even more mature and less embarrassed at the little things.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed Anti-Venom and I will try to come up with some other stories!

Katie

**UPDATE FROM 11-22:**

**I've submitted a story titled "Human Moments" from Edwards POV after being changed into a human. Thanks for the suggestion ****Slyfoxx1313**


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